Tweet
Health Sci Rep
. 2026 Feb 26;9(3):e71870.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.71870. eCollection 2026 Mar.
The Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections on Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study From a University Hospital in Central Italy
Nunzio Zotti 1 , Francesca Di Serafino 1 , Luca Carmisciano 2 3 , Laura Baglietto 2 , Michele Cristofano 4 , Francesca Foltran 4 , Ombretta Paolilli 4 , Andrea Davide Porretta 1 , Guglielmo Arzilli 1 , Mauro Pistello 3 , Caterina Rizzo 1
Affiliations
Background and aims: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have a relevant impact on public health in terms of prevalence and costs associated with the diseases. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to adopt accurate surveillance systems to face new emergencies, the aim of our work is to describe ARIs other then COVID-19 and their impact on healthcare facilities.
Methods: This retrospective study used an ecological approach to connect emergency department records and laboratory test results from a University Hospital in Italy. A time-series analysis has been performed to assess the association between weekly pathogen-specific positivity counts and ARI-related ED admissions.
Results: During the study period, 33,101 ED presentations for ARI were registered, resulting in 7426 hospital admissions. ARI cases and viral diagnoses showed a seasonal peak during the late weeks of the year and early weeks of the following one. A reduction in ED admissions has been found in 2020, while the average weekly rate was 30.8% in 2020, as compared with 21.7% in 2017-2019. Analysis by age group showed a peak of accesses in the last weeks of 2021 for the < 1 and 1-4 years old.
Conclusions: Data on ARI-related admissions highlight seasonal trends and age-related vulnerabilities, providing evidence to guide public health policies and support health system preparedness to respond to future epidemic waves.
Keywords: RSV; acute respiratory infection; emergency department; influenza.
. 2026 Feb 26;9(3):e71870.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.71870. eCollection 2026 Mar.
The Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections on Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study From a University Hospital in Central Italy
Nunzio Zotti 1 , Francesca Di Serafino 1 , Luca Carmisciano 2 3 , Laura Baglietto 2 , Michele Cristofano 4 , Francesca Foltran 4 , Ombretta Paolilli 4 , Andrea Davide Porretta 1 , Guglielmo Arzilli 1 , Mauro Pistello 3 , Caterina Rizzo 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 41767360
- PMCID: PMC12946482
- DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.71870
Background and aims: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have a relevant impact on public health in terms of prevalence and costs associated with the diseases. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to adopt accurate surveillance systems to face new emergencies, the aim of our work is to describe ARIs other then COVID-19 and their impact on healthcare facilities.
Methods: This retrospective study used an ecological approach to connect emergency department records and laboratory test results from a University Hospital in Italy. A time-series analysis has been performed to assess the association between weekly pathogen-specific positivity counts and ARI-related ED admissions.
Results: During the study period, 33,101 ED presentations for ARI were registered, resulting in 7426 hospital admissions. ARI cases and viral diagnoses showed a seasonal peak during the late weeks of the year and early weeks of the following one. A reduction in ED admissions has been found in 2020, while the average weekly rate was 30.8% in 2020, as compared with 21.7% in 2017-2019. Analysis by age group showed a peak of accesses in the last weeks of 2021 for the < 1 and 1-4 years old.
Conclusions: Data on ARI-related admissions highlight seasonal trends and age-related vulnerabilities, providing evidence to guide public health policies and support health system preparedness to respond to future epidemic waves.
Keywords: RSV; acute respiratory infection; emergency department; influenza.